Happy New Year. Again. This time, Burmese. It is heralded by a cleansing, purifying water festival. The water will have to be pretty powerful if it is to cleanse the conscience of the military government which brutally suppressed those recent demonstrations for democracy. They must be delighted about the attention that neighbouring Tibet is getting. It's diverting all eyes from their own shocking behaviour. I'd love to predict change in both lands. I'm not sure I can. Indeed, oddly, I feel more confident about predicting a change at the head of the UK government before next Burmese New Year

Tuesday April 15
New Year in Nepal

It's New Year in Nepal, too. My daughter is now home from her travels, telling tales of orphans, elephants and elections. Sofi would like to adopt the children. All of them please, now! Inca, her friend, sat on the back of an elephant as it wandered into a watering hole. Liz, Inca's mum, wonders how much the country will alter now that the Maoist party have done so well in the elections. Nepal is full of vulnerable refugees. Thousands of Tibetans who fled from the invading Chinese army owe their lives to the kindness of the local Nepalese people.

Wednesday April 16
Full Moon in Scorpio

On Sunday, the Moon will be full in Scorpio. That's normal for the season. This year, though, brings two Full Moons in Scorpio. The second takes place one month later. That's powerful. It explains a lot about the current state of the world. Notice how intense everything is getting? How gloomy the news is? How depressing the financial outlook appears to be? Watch carefully and you'll see more cause for concern emerge over the next few days. Somehow, though, May's second Full Moon will create the chance to 'undo' decisions that seem irrevocable or alter developments that appear irreversible.

Thursday April 17
Predictions

Earlier this year, I made predictions about how bad the economic slowdown would get and how long it would last. I still maintain that house prices will dip but not collapse. Banks will not go out of business. Unemployment will not increase dramatically. Inflation will get worse but not that much worse. To some extent, the more we all talk about how bad things are, the worse we make them. But even if the collective unconscious of the whole human race conspires to blanket the globe in pessimism, we'll still see glimmers of undeniable light and hope by August.

Friday April 18
Narnia

In The Chronicles Of Narnia by CS Lewis, the children disappear to a magical land and have long adventures - but, when they return, no time has elapsed. The Full Moon, this weekend, may weave a similar spell. It is part of a rare pair in the same sign. Many of us can expect an intense, powerful time, full of drama. We may even find ourselves dealing with the aftermath of this weekend's events and decisions for weeks to come. Yet when we 'emerge' from it all, this time next month, it could seem almost as if nothing has altered!

Saturday April 19
Your Weekend

As Mars comes up in the East, Jupiter goes down in the West. The two planets are currently in opposition. This happens for only a couple of weeks every couple of years. It always says something about a fight for freedom, somewhere in the world. Despite the tensions and conflicts on the global stage, we may yet find that surprising breakthroughs occur over the coming weeks and months. This week's Full Moon also speaks of a new willingness to break away from old, entrenched patterns of suppression, repression and blame. There can be a deeper understanding - and soon... there will be.